The 79th Festival de Cannes is set to host a “high-speed cinematic event” as The Fast and the Furious, the 2001 film that launched a worldwide cultural phenomenon, “tears up the Croisette in spectacular fashion”.
“To celebrate the 25th anniversary of a franchise that has conquered the globe and has left an indelible mark on cinema history, the Grand Théâtre Lumière will resonate with the unmistakable roar of engines on Wednesday 13 May at 11.45pm,” Cannes said.
An “exceptional Midnight Screening” will be attended by stars Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster, producer Neal H. Mortiz, and Meadow Walker, the daughter of the film’s late star Paul Walker.
“On 22 June 2001, Universal Pictures released The Fast and the Furious, a high-octane thriller set amid the street-racing culture of Los Angeles,” Cannes continued.
“The film – produced by Neal H. Mortiz, directed by Rob Cohen, and starring Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, Jordana Brewster as Mia and Michelle Rodriguez as Letty – would become a cinema-changing global sensation.
“Over the course of 11 films that have stoked passion in an ever-expanding audience and have earned more than $7 billion US at the worldwide box office, Universal’s record-smashing, homegrown Fast & Furious Saga has become the studio’s most profitable and longest-running franchise.
“Featuring one the most thrilling and diverse casts of any major studio film series, the films’ core actors include Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges as Tej, Sung Kang as Han, and Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey.”
